We were blessed with good weather this fall but as winter approaches, many of us parents are wondering and stressing about what to do with our children especially when we can’t go outside, participate in group sports or visit our favorite museums or indoor play spots.
It’s a stressful time being a parent, period. Whether you work or stay at home, we’ve all been faced with new challenges, some more than other of course. We are all just trying to do our best for our families.
If you’re looking for something fun but educational to do at home with your family, check out ZooToYou, brought to you by MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan, a virtual zoo experience on Facebook Live. ZooToYou takes place twice a week; once at Stone Zoo and once at Franklin Park zoo each week on Facebook Live between 1-2 pm. It’s something Tommy and I have enjoyed watching after school while Connor takes a nap and we can’t do much anyway! Each week you get to enjoy animal cuteness, chats with the zoo care staff, crafts and activities to do at home and more.
My boys are obsessed with the zoo, especially Tommy. He just loves animals. Recently, there was a baby boom at the Franklin Park Zoo! I’ve been stalking the Zoo New England Instagram for updates on the baby gorilla, hippo calf, baby monkey, and baby tapir. The Facebook Lives are longer than a quick Instagram story, of course, and you really get to see some of the animals up close and learn a thing or two!
One Tuesday, Tommy and I tuned in live to watch one of the gorillas, Kambiri, at the Franklin Park Zoo celebrate her 10th birthday. We were hoping to see the baby gorilla but mother (Kiki) and son were still bonding behind the scenes. They are currently back in the exhibit and our fingers are crossed we get to see them soon. The gorillas are my personal favorite and the last time we visited, this exhibit was closed due to Covid restrictions.
On the Live, we also learned that Kiki gave birth via C-section which is not usual as you can imagine for a gorilla. She needed extra time to heal like humans for obvious reasons. We also got to see what a gorilla birthday cake is made up of! It was made of “leaf eater biscuit” which the zookeeper basically said was like a kibble for different animals, smooshed up in water and molded to look like a cake.
Tommy had a million questions and was able to ask on the live feed and get a reply! You can of course watch the videos at a later date on the Zoo New England Facebook page.
The virtual experience gave Tommy and I something special to do together that was reminiscent of pre-Covid times but way more convenient especially being pregnant!
Planning right now for anything feels impossible, from the Holidays to potential vacations. One thing you can plan for is saving for college. MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan helps parents like you and me plan for their kids’ futures.
We started saving for Tommy right away but as with many second children, we dragged our feet with Connor. Getting behind is not something we intended to do as most parents but with his little sister on the way, we looked into MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan for him during the pandemic while we had a little down time from parenting.
Starting a college savings plan is a great thing to do for your child/children before 2020 is over if you haven’t yet!
This post is sponsored by MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan; all opinions expressed are my own.
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